Govt. Of India Draft National Encryption Policy [pdf] - <AUTHOR> http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/draft%20Encryption%20Policyv1.pdf <comment><AUTHOR> Posting this here in order to raise awareness of what the govt. of India is trying to do. This really bad , worse than my worst nightmares. This needs more visibility.

Here is the most ridiculous excerpt :

B / C groups (i.e. B2C, C2B Sectors) may use Encryption for storage and communication.

Encryption algorithms and key sizes will be prescribed by the Government through Notification from time to time.

On demand, the user shall reproduce the same Plain text and encrypted text pairs using the software / hardware used to produce the encrypted text from the given plain text. All information shall be stored by the concerned B / C entity for 90 days from the date of transaction and made available to Law Enforcement Agencies as and when demanded in line with the provisions of the laws of the country. In case of communication with foreign entity, the primary responsibility of providing readable plaintext along with the corresponding Encrypted information shall rest on entity (B or C) located in India.

6\. Service Providers located within and outside India, using Encryption technology for providing any type of services in India must enter into an agreement with the Government for providing such services in India. Government will designate an appropriate agency for entering into such an agreement with the Service provider located within and outside India. The users of any group G,B or C taking such services from Service Providers . are also responsible to provide plain text when demanded.

7\. Users within C group (i.e. C2C Sector) may use Encryption for storage and communication. Encryption algorithms and key sizes will be prescribed by the Government through Notification from time to time. All citizens (C), including personnel of Government / Business (G/B) performing non-official / personal functions, are required to store the plaintexts of the corresponding encrypted information for 90 days from the date of transaction and provide the verifiable Plain Text to Law and Enforcement Agencies as and when required as per the provision of the laws of the country</comment>


Motorist Claims Corporation Papers Are Carpool Passengers - <AUTHOR> http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/01/corporation-carpool-flap/

<comment><USER2> Carpool Lane: "2 or more persons per vehicle"

CA Vehicle Code: '"Person" includes a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation.' (<http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d01/vc470.htm>)

Pretty reasonable argument in the abstract.

But I don't think that the Articles of Incorporation should be considered a physical manifestation of that corporation, so I don't see how you could claim that the corporation was "in the vehicle".

<comment><USER3> On the other hand if he's the sole board member and the articles and his laptop with all the work were in the car, how could it _not_ be in the car ;)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I thought it was a clever way to gain standing in order to litigate. While it might get the guy off a quick clarification in the Ca law would close the loophole. As a publicity stunt to drive the conversation about rights versus rights assignable entities it seems to have achieved that objective.

</comment><comment><USER5> Given his intent with this, I would love something like this to make it to the SCOTUS, since the granting of personhood to corporations is absurd and needs to be overruled. Giving a corporation personhood gives it all the rights of being a person with none of the consequences. You can't jail a corporation like you can with people.

<comment><USER6> So when you need to make a contract with a corporation, who will you make it with? When you want to sue one, who will you sue? The individual officers? How are you going to prove they were responsible? If you sue the CEO because of something his subordinates did, and he dies 6 months later, what would happen to your legal action?

The legal fiction of corporate personhood exists for a good reason; it allows parties external to the corporation to transact business with and take action against the corporation without needing to know the individual structure of it. It's called a _corporation_ because _corpore_ is the Latin for body, giving it a distinct legal identity.

<comment><USER7> > When you want to sue one, who will you sue?

Okay, since I'm sensing this is about to become a type theory conversation, let's start with the function definition:

sue :: Person -> Claim -> Person -> Maybe Money

Now you're basically saying that, given the above definition, we have _no choice_ but to have Company implement the Person typeclass. Unfortunately, there is a lot of code already using the Person typeclass for purposes that are absurd when a Corporation is passed. Consider:

valid_for_carpool :: [Person] -> Boolean

So what to do? One option is to send out emails telling our colleagues to be very careful when using the Person typeclass. The other option is to create a new Suable typeclass, and implement it for both corporations and people.

Which one do you prefer?

<comment><USER8> _have Company implement the Person typeclass_

The obvious solution is to factor out a base class, LegalPerson, with some but not all of the behaviors of the existing Person class. Then derive a separate Company class from LegalPerson. All the stuff we don't want corporations to have, we leave in the existing Person class, so Company doesn't have it.

 _create a new Suable typeclass_

I would view "Suable" as an interface implemented by LegalPerson, and inherited by Person and Company. LegalPerson obviously has to implement _lots_ of interfaces. :-)

<comment><USER7> Ignoring the fact that Person is clearly a subclass of Mammal, I like this.

A couple comments:

\- the name LegalEntity feels better to me. (I think it's less likely to be confusing to the lawgrammers who'll be maintaing the code).

\- Once we have LegalEntity in place, we should consider discarding the Suable typeclass -- it looks to me like LegalEntity perfectly describes what we're looking for.

There's still a lot of refactoring to be done (I still can't believe the CA _Vehicle_ Code considers a person "a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation."), but now that the types have been cleared up we have a good foundation to move towards.

Things we should consider going forwards:

\- Will the constitution refer to Person, or to LegalEntity? ("new Person() == new Person()" has a nice ring to it if you ask me)

\- Why can't all LegalEntities be acted upon in the same way? (Some Legal entities can be put in jail for instance). Is there a type we are missing?

<comment><USER8> _Person is clearly a subclass of Mammal_

Well, of course we'll need to use multiple inheritance. :-)

 _we should consider discarding the Suable typeclass_

I would recommend keeping it as an interface definition, to make clear that it is a logically distinct thing; LegalEntity would just implement the interface.

 _Will the constitution refer to Person, or to LegalEntity?_

Depends on the context, I would think. Sounds like we'll need plenty of coders to make this work... :-)

 _Why can't all LegalEntities be acted upon in the same way?_

Obviously we haven't defined all the relevant interfaces and subclasses :-). The one you're looking for here is Jailable, which evidently would be implemented by Person but not Company, and so would not be implemented in the LegalEntity base class.

Obvious next question: what language do we start the implementation in? I vote for Python. Anyone for starting a github project?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Throw them _both_ in jail.</comment>


New UK property search site launched, nice implementation - <AUTHOR> http://www.moveto.co.uk/

<comment><AUTHOR> If you register an account and login and look behind the scenes you'll notice it generates the entire user section client side, caching everything. Takes a load off the server.</comment>


For software developers: how to find a job with relocation to Europe - <AUTHOR> http://relocateme.eu/blog/life-hacks-for-software-developers-how-to-find-a-job-with-relocation-to-europe/ <comment><USER2> Life hack #2: Don't move to Europe to chase a girl or run from a President- elect. (actually do whatever you want just don't expect the girl to be as good or the President-elect to be as bad as they seem to you right now)

Edit: All the guys with great relationships... I was attempting unsuccessfully to be funny. Have a great weekend.

Edit 2: It appears from the replies below that 75% of men that follow a girl to another country find it to be the best decision they ever made. I would like to formally retract my Lifehack

<comment><USER3> I chased a girl to Europe, by far the best decision I ever made.

<comment><USER4> I chased a girl to Canada and it was the worst decision I ever made.

YMMV.

<comment><USER5> Chasing the girl, or chasing her to Canada? ;)

<comment><USER4> Both, actually.

<comment><USER6> Canada is sorry...

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> The article should start with the prerequisites, things like an university degree and some work experience will make your job hunt easier and in many cases it will be impossible to get an European job with relocation without these two things.

I, for example, have been trying to get a job in many of the startups in Amsterdam and Berlin for the past 3 months and it has been impossible due to my lack of formal education, or better, due to the lack of university degree. And to add salt to the wound, the education system in my home country forces you to pass +5 years studying just to get a Bachelors while you can get a BS in ~3 years in the EU and use the other 2 years to get a Masters (as in the US), so even if I had finished university I wouldn't be able to compete with the education of engineers that are already living in Europe. More than once my profile has been rejected by European companies because they can find someone as good (or more) than me without the need to initiate an immigration process.

Nonetheless, I will try every single website linked in this article because I hope than maybe one of these days I will get hired for work experience and skills than for my education. I haven't found a job in Europe for lack of trying.

<comment><USER8> The part about university is counterintuitive. In the US companies have to compete for talent, not vice-versa. So if ability is there with a candidate, education is irrelevant. Candidate supply and demand has companies removing barriers, not adding them. (At least in the big-city markets I have experience with.)

What does the emphasis on education abroad mean? That the supply and demand for developers is inverted relative to the US? Or that they're behind the times and haven't figured out what we've figured out here?

<comment><USER9> > The part about university is counterintuitive. In the US companies have to > compete for talent, not vice-versa.

To perhaps resolve this contradiction: In Germany you typically are not considered as "talent" if you are self-learnt, only if you have a formal degree (also for blue-collar jobs you do apprenticeship for 2 to 3 years). The mentality really is "if the person is not even able to get a degree/do an apprenticeship" how can he/she an able person. The only exception of this rule if you are self-employed - then it's your problem to find customers. If you are successful as a self-employed person or founder (even though you have no formal degree), you will still be accepted.

One reason (beside tradition) might be that in Germany there are strong dismissal protection laws. This means that after a probation period of typically a half year it becomes complicated to fire you. Thus as an employer you really want to go the safe way: It is not sufficient that you are currently good, but also that you are able to learn new things on your own. A university degree is a strong sign that you are able to learn new, complicated things on your own in the future: It is my impression that to get a degree at a typical German university in some STEM subject you are a lot more on your own in terms of learning etc. than at a typical US university.

<comment><USER10> Its a very different culture. College is affordable for most people - in the US it means you're willing to go into a lot of debt or have either well off or poor parents. There's a huge pool of extremely competent people in the US without a degree due to familial reasons.

<comment><USER9> From what I have read in the internet the much larger difference is that in Germany there are lots of other ways than going to college/university: As the example with apprenticeship or going to a Fachhochschule (a little bit similar to university, but much more school-like in sense of strict organization and mostly focused on "applied subject"; "Fachhochschule" is often translated with "school of applied science", but I prefer the traditional translation "engineering school", though Fachhochschulen don't offer just degrees in engineering). Fachhochschulen were originally conceived by industry because they complained that at that time they considered the education that universities offered as too theoretical.

Also apprenticeships of course finish with a certificate (which is often well- regarded for apprenticeships that are more intellectually challenging) and Fachhochschulen also finish with a degree (though the Fachhochschul degree is considered as "a level below" than a university degree).

TLDR: Just because university is affordable in Germany does not imply that most people want to go there. There are lots of other options such as apprenticeships or Fachhochschulen (and some more exotic options that I won't go into) which can be a much better choice. If people in the US complain about the high cost of university/college education: Why don't they simply conceive such alternatives, too?

<comment><USER10> Because there's no national structure for it - it would all need to be achieved on the state level given both politics and the different needs of different states. We have community colleges here but I don't believe there are almost any public certification institutions. Also because in almost the entire country there are no protections/contracts for workers being fired at any point for any reason, and also workers can leave at any point for any reason, companies have very little incentive to spend any money to train people. It'd be perfect for society to step in and provide these sorts of institutions but in our current political climate ANY outgrowth of government except to military is seen with extreme skepticism.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Having just been through the process myself, here's my advice.

1) If you are moving from the US, you want to move to Europe not for better jobs, but for better quality of life overall. Europeans work less hours, have more vacation, and many more places to go to with a $50 plane ticket. Unless you live in NYC, your future European capital will likely be more diverse when it comes to culture and food.

2) Start by picking the city where you want to live. Scout it, see what is around, see what the people are like. Look for a job after you find that place.

3) Meeting people face to face will make your job search much easier. If you can AirBnB your US apartment, that might even be enough to pay for a trip to cheaper cities like Berlin or Barcelona.

4) Yes, you'll need a work visa, and while each country is a little different when it comes to those, generally being sponsored by a company is all you need.

5) In most cases, don't worry about the native language. I have found jobs, and know people that have done the same, in Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Barcelona, knowing only English. Once you settle, you might want to learn the local language for social reasons, of course, but there are plenty of English-only jobs.

<comment><USER12> > In most cases, don't worry about the native language. [...] Paris [...]

I know a bunch of fellow expats in Paris. The ones that came here with the intention of learning/improving French are usually happy. The ones that came expecting to get by with only English are _absolutely miserable_ and _hate it_ here. The French (rightly) regard you as an arrogant prick if you don't show that you are willing to make the effort, and they treat you accordingly.

Yes, the other places you mentioned are probably easier in this regard.

<comment><USER13> I've been to Paris recently for a 3 days tech event. I would say that in my experience it is the French people that are often arrogant in that they get pissed / make fun of people who can't speak their language. A friend of mine that was with me and can speak French to a decent level had troubles even ordering stuff in a bar because the girls working there didn't make the effort to understand beyond his foreign accent... and he is half Belgian.

Of course my experience is limited and of course you would expect someone living in France for a long time to learn the language, but it's also a matter of good manners. I, too, would hate to live there if my experience is the norm.

EDIT: It seems that other people had the opposite experience so take anything with a grain of salt.

<comment><USER14> Even as a tourist knowing only English, the best ways to ingratiate yourself with everyone is to at least start with a French greeting—especially when walking into shops, cafes, etc. Americans are far too accustomed to employees greeting _them_. If you walk into a place, some quick, intentional eye contact and a friendly sounding "Bonjour!" go a long way. French shop owners/workers in Paris don't make a point of saying, "Welcome to my shop, may I take your order?"

I speak French, but whenever I would get lost in a conversation, I'd simply apologize, explain I'm American, and am having trouble understanding or following (all in French, of course; its worth learning how to say it), then ask if they spoke English or if they could slow down. At that point, they'd express being delighted to speak in English, and I'd keep trying to speak in French. Made for some very fun times with all the people I met.

It's also worth learning how to say a few key phrases in the correct rhythm and tone. French isn't spoken with an English-like cadence.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> For people interested in this topic, I've written a fair amount on the more nitty gritty aspects, as an American who relocated to Berlin, Germany.

[http://notanomadblog.com/how-to-emigrate-germany-startup- job...](http://notanomadblog.com/how-to-emigrate-germany-startup-job/)

[http://notanomadblog.com/startup-jobs- berlin/](http://notanomadblog.com/startup-jobs-berlin/)

[http://notanomadblog.com/prepare-resume-international- job/](http://notanomadblog.com/prepare-resume-international-job/)

If anyone is interested in this and needs a push in the right direction, I'd hope these links help you out!

Also, if you're a Javascript developer who wants to live in Berlin, I'm trying to hire someone excellent. If that's you, please apply: [https://sumup.workable.com/jobs/373611](https://sumup.workable.com/jobs/373611)

Ok, enough self promotion. If anyone has questions about relocating to Germany or Berlin, HMU :)

<comment><USER16> Well done on the guide. I'm used to being the crotchety Berlin emigration pedant on HN, and this actually gets almost everything right.

The process you described is still probably the most common (and the one that I took around 15 years ago). Worth adding, however, is the new-ish Blue Card system, which allows folks with relevant education to get a visa for 6 months to look for a job, in theory, simplifies the visa application process a bit, and gives you a faster track to permanent residence. My wife is a more recent immigrant (from Eastern Europe) and was able to get permanent residence much faster than I did because she went the Blue Card route.

<comment><USER17> Not to be too prying, but you don't happen to have children do you? I do, very young, single digits, and would love to immigrate out of the US but healthcare, daycare, and schools for my children are priorities. Any thoughts on those there? I'd rather find out from the horse's mouth...

<comment><USER16> I do, but having spent virtually all of my adult life in Germany (36 now, moved here at 21), my sense of what's normal is the way that things are here. My son was born here and is a German citizen (which isn't automatic just by being born in Germany). He's 16 months old now.

Healthcare and daycare aren't particularly difficult issues. The healthcare systems in developed countries are almost universally good. Health insurance is based on your income, rather than any pre-existing conditions or your job, and is universal. Day care is heavily subsidized. We pay €400/month because we're in the highest income bracket, but even that is being phased out next year (and up to now was only applied to kids from 1 to 3). Finding a day care spot can be annoying, but it's more of a chore than an impossibility. At our son's (public) day care, 55% of the kids have at least one non-German parent.

We're not far enough for me to have anything more than a theoretical view on schools. Private schools are very rare here. Public schools are probably better than median US public schools. They're naturally in German, with the exception of (in Berlin) the JFK and Nelson Mandela schools, which are bi- lingual English and German. JFK specifically reserves spots for American kids. If the kids are young enough though, they'd probably pick up the language in an amazingly short span of time. (We don't have any special plans to send our kid to one of the bi-lingual schools. I'm fluent in German and my wife speaks it reasonably well, and we're both permanent residents here.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> If you're a good computer scientist or have done notable things in tech, the UK's Tech City visa is a really simple and fast way of getting a 5-year visa for the UK that has a path to permanent residence then citizenship afterwards (after year 5 and 6 respectively). I've had friends use this with great success recently in engineering, product management and product marketing roles and quite short turnaround times (often less than a month if you've done a complete packet with references). It's most relevant if you've worked at either promising fast-growth startups or otherwise bigger tech companies before like Google/Facebook/etc.

Having a job lined up already is not required although you'll have to show work experience in the UK to stay after the 5 years. If you're in a marriage or partnership you can also get your partner's visa through this as well.

The criteria are pretty reasonable if you've done even noncommercial things like research and the "promising" track is suitable for younger/less experienced folks with demonstrable potential. Feel free to reach out if you have questions and I'll do my best to answer them. [http://www.techcityuk.com/tech-nation-visa/](http://www.techcityuk.com/tech- nation-visa/)

<comment><USER19> I used to visit the UK a couple times a year. Beautiful country but I don't think I could ever justify moving there in light of recent events [1]. Especially considering that, coming from the US, greener pastures aren't all that hard to find.

1\. [http://www.zdnet.com/article/snoopers-charter-expansive- new-...](http://www.zdnet.com/article/snoopers-charter-expansive-new-spying- powers-becomes-law/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> Do learn some of the native language of your target country before you apply. Having that on your resume and being able to handle small talk in an interview demonstrates that you are serious about staying in the new country for some time.

There is lots of good advice on the Internet on how to learn a foreign language fast and it does not include "take a course" because the rigid structure of courses impedes more than helps. Just do it, practice it every day in every way that you can, starting today. No excuses. EVERY DAY. If you have nobody else to talk to then talk to yourself in the foreign language. This is brain training and requires practice. And just like compound interest, working for an hour or so every day pays off big in language learning.

<comment><USER21> If it helps others, Duolingo is obviously a good starting point for this (and free), but I also liked LingQ because you can import articles from the web and learn to read them word by word, building up your own personal dictionary in the process. So instead of pre-defined lessons, I learned by reading German song lyrics. (Unheilig is now my favorite band.)

Speaking / conversation is really important though, and I haven't solved that yet. iTalki looks good, but I've not yet tried any of the Skype sessions yet.

[0] [https://duolingo.com/](https://duolingo.com/)

[1] [https://www.lingq.com/](https://www.lingq.com/)

[2] [https://www.italki.com/](https://www.italki.com/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> Life hack #1. Be prepared to take a 50-75% pay cut if you're relocating from the US.

<comment><USER23> Seriously. I just got a recruiter spam email yesterday for a job in London with a salary listed at "up to £45k" (about $55k USD).

That's less than half of my current salary in a city with double the cost of living!

(I'm in Ohio, but apparently London is even more expensive than SF: [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=cost+of+living+london+...](https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=cost+of+living+london+england+vs+san+francisco))

<comment><USER24> Up to £45k is an offer for an entry level job. If you have experience, you should be looking for £60k or more.

London is an amazing city if you can get a good job, otherwise, it can be quite hard to live there.

<comment><USER23> The email said they were looking for a "Senior/Lead" person, but I'm sure you're right in general.

<comment><USER24> They are not going to find a Lead developer for this price. And if they find someone, that person will move to another company after realising how salaries are in London.

[http://www.monster.co.uk/jobs/search/?q=lead+developer&where...](http://www.monster.co.uk/jobs/search/?q=lead+developer&where=london&cy=uk)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> Sort of on-topic; we're hiring in Sweden and we don't care where you're from.

[http://www.massive.se/jobs](http://www.massive.se/jobs)

<comment><USER26> What about don't caring where one works from? ;)

<comment><USER25> Unfortunately, we need you to be in the office.

Even if remote working was culturally accepted in ubisoft I'd want people in my team to be on-site for the first six months anyway.

<comment><USER26> > I'd want people in my team to be on-site for the first six months anyway.

No problem with that. It is even preferable. Also 1-2 week(s) onsite stints once in awhile afterwards.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> As a software developer living in Germany I wouldn't mind swopping with someone in the USA? Any takers?

<comment><USER28> Why bother for the US if you have German-speaking Switzerland nearby, with great salaries?

<comment><USER15> Same as other commenter: Switzerland is SO expensive. Of course the salaries are higher, but damn. You can get away with spending very little in Germany, and saving a higher percentage of your salary.

Of course, the best hack is to live in Germany but work in Switzerland.

<comment><USER29> You can also be frugal in Switzerland and have it all. Start with cooking by yourself, you save a shitload of money.

<comment><USER30> Thats what I do. Depending on where you live, taxes are _way_ lower too, offsetting higher cost of living.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> I am a data scientist working at a big firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have a PhD in CS with a specialization in AI / Machine Learning / NLP from a US university.

I am from India. So I assume my nationality will be an immigration barrier in most countries. Is this something I should mention while formally applying?

</comment><comment><USER32> This year I relocated myself and my family (four kids) to Nicaragua. Both my wife and I speak fluent spanish, but I was very surprised by how hard and how expensive it was. Some things I learned: \- Finding what you need is hard. We've got to buy a hula hoop for our kid's school. We don't know exactly where to go, and wind up driving around for 3 hours to find the right thing \- Small things are hard. We spend hours each month waiting in lines at banks to pay the electricity bill, the water bill, the internet bill, rent, the plumber, the reservation fee for a beach house. I miss bill pay terribly. \- Culture is vastly different. Where in the US I felt like our family was well put together, here we're considered a mess since we don't have a full time maid and 2 nannies. We tell ourselves that we don't care what people think about us, but you get tired of being judged all day

But on the flip side, we've been here 5 months and have already seen 4 volcanoes, numerous beaches with world-class surfing, my kids are starting to learn Spanish, and it's been a wonderful time to focus on what's really important for us.

I'd recommend it, but not to anyone. You've got to be prepared for this.

<comment><USER33> > here we're considered a mess since we don't have a full time maid and 2 > nannies. We tell ourselves that we don't care what people think about us, > but you get tired of being judged all day

Perhaps worth noting that in some countries hiring domestic help is seen as a kind of social requirement if you're wealthy enough to do that. Basically for job creation. No idea what's the case in Nicaragua though.

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> Be aware that if you are looking for a job in a EU country you have a disadvantage against other job candidates from a EU country. Most countries have a quota for non-EU work visa, whereas there is no so thing for employees from an EU country. That means that your employer would have to go through some hassle to sponsor your visa. That usually means you need to have a searched for specialization and senior level work experience.

If you don't have this specialization or not enough work experience you could try to look for jobs in remote areas where employers have problems to find people. The southwest of Germany with those zillions of small to middle sized mechanical engineering companies would be an example for that. Of course the cultural shock will be bigger than the one you get if you go to eg. London. Your salary also will be about 20%-30% lower then those in a city, you could describe those places as boring (or laid back, depending on your point of view) and you would definitely have to learn the language.

</comment><comment><USER35> I've started this process myself (an experienced American web developer). One advantage I might have here over others is my wife is a dual-citizen (France/US).

The one offer I received is about half what I make now. I turned it down hoping to hold out for something better. I've gathered that one's salary will very wildly based on the country (Switzerland seems to be the highest). The loss of salary has been disappointing and something that I'm willing to sacrifice (there are other advantages that offset it, like work/life balance) but not so much that I'm making less than an entry level salary in the US.

This site looks promising so thanks for sharing. If there are any more sites like this, or recruiters that specialize in this kind of thing, I'd love to know.

<comment><USER36> Last year I was in Europe on a self-funded sabbatical. I was backpacking around the world for about 11 months.

I had a few interviews in Germany and The Netherlands that didn't work out, but one thing I did notice is that many European countries don't have the huge income wage gap for software engineers.

An engineer that might go for $150k in Chicago or Seattle would be about 50h ~ 55k euro in Berlin. It works it self out with lower costs for groceries, better public transportation, reasonable housing prices, etc.

The loss of salary you mention might seem bad for you, but it's part of having generally lower income inequality. The wage gaps in America (a lot of it brought on by the high demand and cost of housing and our poor transportation networks) are not good for people without tech jobs in cities that are dominated by them.

<comment><USER37> > An engineer that might go for $150k in Chicago or Seattle would be about 50h > ~ 55k euro in Berlin.

Given the current exchange rate, that's a shocking gap between the US and Europe. People will happily sit in some traffic to make 3x as much.

<comment><USER10> You can live in the very core of berlin for around EU1500/mo, and much cheaper in places only a few blocks away from the subway that will get you to work in 1/4 the time. Food costs are about 50% less than in the US, for better quality. You can travel to any other city and other countries by fairly inexpensive train or cheap flights. You can spend 1600 on room/utilities, 400 on food, 100 on transportation and have 1600euros a month for whatever you want at that salary, with no worries about your health or looking after your kids.

But you probably won't have 4000 square foot house to store your 4 cars in.

<comment><USER37> > But you probably won't have 4000 square foot house to store your 4 cars in.

Or more generally, you'll just have a whole heck of a lot less money, which was the point. I wonder if djsumdog was exaggerating, though, by failing to compare like against like. The numbers he quoted for US engineers represent the pretty high end. Are there really engineers in Berlin making a lot less than 50k Euros/year?

<comment><USER38> Belgian speaking here. Have 4 years of experience, my first salary was around 40k. Current salary is 46k, and I am moving next month to Paris in a top tech company (reputed to pay very well there), that will offer me 59k + 14k (average bonus, etc.). And I consider myself on the high end of the spectrum, so yeah, I am pretty sure there is a lot of (young) engineers making less than 50k in Berlin.

<comment><USER39> NL here. From my previous employer I was making more than 80k euro per year as an engineer, but almost half of the money goes to tax.

So what is the point there? So I quit and work for 3 days per week. Much less money before tax but after tax not really. I feel it is good deal to take 2 days back to life.

So if you want to live in Europe, forget about working for someone else.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER40> Work holiday visas are a great way of getting into Europe if your country qualifies for it. Many people transition from these visas into a work permit. It's way easier to find a job when you're on the ground and can get a face-to- face interview. [http://www.anyworkanywhere.com/visainfo.html](http://www.anyworkanywhere.com/visainfo.html)

</comment><comment><USER41> I would love to move to Europe. As of now I am planning at least to retire in Europe (lack of high property taxes makes retirement easier). But the lack of jobs, especially interesting ones, in the warmer Mediterranean countries keeps me away. I am a dual citizen (US/EU), so I would have no visa issues unless I go to Croatia.

This site only re-enforces the fact that all the tech jobs are up north.

</comment><comment><USER42> Is this a good thread to mention "we're hiring"? :)

Sustainable energy company in Amsterdam. We can do visas.

[https://vandebron.nl/vacancies](https://vandebron.nl/vacancies)

</comment><comment><USER43> First life hack: make sure you want to live in Europe.

I like the parts of Europe I've been to (Germany, Ireland, France, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands)

Having said that, don't expect it to be better than wherever you are. There is no promised land.

I'm saying this even though I work for a large company with offices throughout Europe. I could transfer without any difficulty and get paid relocation to my choice of cool European cities. That's not to sound braggy, just to say that just because you have the opportunity it's worth considering whether its worth the jump for you.

<comment><USER44> I miss the small familiarities when abroad. Small things like the style of windows, houses, roads, smells. Also, national forests.

Bigger things: being a native speaker, knowing how all the institutions (schools, churches, etc.) work. Never having to learn subtle stuff about how to interact in this or that rare situation. Being a citizen of the place you live. Being near family.

Leaving your home country has a lot of drawbacks, no matter where you are from or where you are going to.

<comment><USER45> > Small things like the style of windows,

German windows design and their obsession with fresh air is such a subtle but absolutely fantastic part of their culture IMHO.

<comment><USER46> It is never a practical thing, and it happens even while you are happy where you land.

I really enjoy living in Norway. I miss the color of dirt and smell where I was in the US. I still find the color weird. It isn't to say that I don't like it or that one is better or worse, really, just one is more familiar. SImple as that.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER47> SanomaTech (virtual org of Sanoma Media) is hiring in the Netherlands:

[https://github.com/sanoma](https://github.com/sanoma)

[https://youtube.com/channel/UCU7D3JL3AZr05cbp_BXAdrw](https://youtube.com/channel/UCU7D3JL3AZr05cbp_BXAdrw)

</comment><comment><USER48> One thing the article did not touch on is the administrative aspect. Visa requirements, social norms, etc. It all contributes to the decision. Oh, don't forget to talk to your SO as well.

</comment><comment><USER49> Off-topic, but that stock image misspelled "Sydney".

</comment><comment><USER50> I think Europe pays much worse than US for SWE. Also if you are a US citizen you have to pay US taxes on everything over 100k.

<comment><USER51> _if you are a US citizen you have to pay US taxes on everything over 100k._

'Fortunately' hardly any programming jobs in Europe pay over 100k

</comment></comment><comment><USER52> Is there a similar site/service for upper-management/product manager/analytics roles?

</comment><comment><USER53> This is exactly what I was looking for! Good resource at the right time!

</comment><comment><USER54> Working from Mexico. Moving was hard but the payoff was worth it.

</comment><comment><USER55> One way plane ticket: 500 Dollar

Fake Syrian passport that unlocks residency, shelter, food, pocket money and health insurance: 250 Dollar

A German chancellor that is a criminal and is breaking German law and Agreements like Dublin III: priceless.

There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there is MasterCard.

<comment><USER56> You're going to put a fake passport on your credit card?! :)

<comment><USER55> Why not? Yes, it is illegal but nobody gives a f. in Germany. The rule of law has long been gone under former secret police agent Angela Merkel (please google "IM Erika").</comment></comment></comment>


Fake Steve Jobs, R.I.P.* - <AUTHOR> http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/7/fake-steve-jobs-r-i-p- <comment><USER2> "I hear that I've been blacklisted, and that Apple reached out directly to Newsweek to complain about my hiring" Dan tells us.

Wait, is Fake Steve bad "press" for Apple? If anything their PR department should be reaching out to him and letting him try out their new products. Most of the people I know that follow him are heavy Mac users, so if anything, Apple should be praising Newsweek for hiring him. Bad move I think.

<comment><USER3> Apple is a secretive company by nature, and Jobs is a private individual. He tries to thwart many books and articles written about him. I'd be willing to bet that the unflattering parody articles in the fake steve blog rubbed him the wrong way.</comment></comment>


Here was a plague - <AUTHOR> https://www.lrb.co.uk/v40/n18/tom-crewe/here-was-a-plague <comment><USER2> Let's not forget:

a) There still _is_ a plague, and,

b) It mostly affects heterosexual people:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS#Sexual](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS#Sexual)

 _Globally, the most common mode of HIV transmission is via sexual contacts between people of the opposite sex;[12]_

<comment><USER3> Well, duh, of course that's the most common mode; heterosexual contact is _overwhelmingly the most common mode of sexual contact, period._ The average heterosexual encounter could be 10000x less likely to result in HIV transmission and it would _still_ be the most common mode of transmission. But the fact remains that in the US, two-thirds of HIV transmission is in fact between gay and bi dudes; and that in the US, 10% of the 16,000,000 gay- identified men born between 1951 and 1970 were dead by 1995 - a _literal decimation_ within living memory. Numbers in the UK are similarly disproportionate. Perhaps you can understand why people writing in English- language publications might, perhaps, focus on AIDS as a "gay thing"?[1]

As for your first point, though - yeah, AIDS is absolutely still a thing. The AIDS crisis has never ended; the situation is _still_ considered an pandemic. We are just now, _finally_ , starting to reach a point where the tide may begin to turn in wealthy countries like the US, and it's undeniable that treating the _global_ problem as something specifically dominated by homosexuality would be a terrible idea.

[1]Gay _male_ thing specifically; most forms of lesbian sex have a _microscopic_ transmission rate. There's just a whole lot less fluid exchange involved.</comment></comment>


WASI WebAssmbley - rob-blackbourn https://rob-blackbourn.github.io/blog/webassembly/wasm/javascript/c/clang/wasi-sdk/marshalling/2020/07/02/wasi-marshalling.html <comment> rob-blackbourn Here is the latest in a series of articles on WebAssembly. This one's on marshelling C libraries.</comment>


How do 4% of developers get paid to work on Open Source? - <AUTHOR> According to https://www.jetbrains.com/research/devecosystem-2018/, 4% of developers get paid to work on open source.<p>I'm curious -- what are the sources of your funding? <comment><USER2> In most of these cases, they're not working on it full time. Their company uses an open source project as part of something else, and the developer fixes bugs or adds features as the company needs those changes.

There's a much smaller contingent where the open source project is the core of a closed-source project (e.g. Red Hat employees contributing to the Linux kernel or Fedora) or where a company runs an open source project and charges for support contracts (e.g. MongoDB).</comment>


Wisdom is more of a state than a trait - <AUTHOR> https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/08/31/wisdom-is-more-of-a-state-than-a-trait/ <comment><USER2> The _self-reported_ amount of wisdom that _152 people in Germany_ displayed over _nine days_ showed higher variation between events than between people.

Hypothesis: People who are more wise have higher standards for their own behavior, and self-report lower. People who are less wise have lower standards for their own behavior, and self-report higher.

Hypothesis: The contextual importance of wisdom varies, and some people are better at acting more wisely at the more important times. For example, there is little harm in acting like a child when you are ordering food, but much harm in acting like a child when raising one.

<comment><USER3> _...there is little harm in acting like a child when you are ordering food..._

Unless one considers "harm" to include the presence of various human excretions in one's food. Don't fuck with the wait staff, people.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Small sample size, ambiguous term, self-reporting... There's not a lot of meat to chew on here. I would posit that wisdom is taking the appropriate situation to achieve one's goals, as well as having _the right_ goals. Obviously that leaves a lot of wiggle room, but language allows us to talk about wisdom in terms that are difficult to test or even agree on. Nonetheless, if we accept that definition, then someone's wisdom probably has a lot to do with how experienced they are in certain contexts; i.e. how many tools have they developed to navigate those contexts. Which would make wisdom, in practice, pretty contingent. Well socialized comes close to being wise, for a given social milieu, and that is indeed very different from having a high IQ.

</comment><comment><USER5> As an individual who has a tattoo that reminds him of wisdom being an achievable trait, I find the idea interesting but disagree.

I believe that wisdom is the joining of experience + intelligence.

And like any trait, sometimes you have to make a conscious decision to act in that particular way - it's not possible to just arrive at a state of "Wisdom" and stay there permanently. Sometimes, regardless of experience or intelligence, you will make poor decisions or miss details. Wisdom is about growth and change.

To be slightly reductionist: Wisdom is a journey, a state-of-mind is a destination, and a journey will never be a destination (unless you're planning on vacation to a hiking spot).

</comment><comment><USER6> By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest --Confucius

</comment><comment><USER7> BREAKING NEWS: Study validates the very definition of wisdom!

wis·dom ˈwizdəm noun the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment

Experience and knowledge will vary greatly from person to person, and situation to situation. The good judgment part plays in cognitive processes, so perhaps those are the stabilizing forces. They did a good job of proving simple assumptions aren't worth much.

</comment><comment><USER8> "The researchers found that there was considerable variation in how much wisdom people showed from one situation to the next."

It sounds to me that the study's questions likely rely on a very specific understanding of what wisdom is. Whoever wrote those questions must be very wise indeed! (sarcasm)

</comment><comment><USER9> What I got out of this was that our intellectual state is more variable than we think.

This is why I wholeheartedly embrace procrastinating your way to success. Given that you are procrastinating with something in the top ten priorities.

</comment><comment><USER10>
        The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

\-- Plutarch

</comment><comment><USER11> Those animated GIFs in the right column are annoying and distract me from the content. You'd think psychologists would know better.

</comment><comment><USER12> I'm wise enough to know

"(average age 27) "

Is enough to stop reading the article.</comment>


Is the hot hand fallacy a fallacy? - <AUTHOR> https://rjlipton.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/is-the-hot-hand-fallacy-a-fallacy/ <comment><USER2> TLDR: If the process is purely mathematical chance such as dice rolling, hot hand fallacy holds. If the process takes into account the actor's state, such as being more confident or focused during a winning streak or because of consecutive wins, the hot hand fallacy does not apply.

</comment><comment><USER3> The hot hand fallacy ignores the entire concept of flow which is well studied, reproducible,and not very controversial.</comment>


Tech Entrepreneur Nano Degree - <AUTHOR> https://www.udacity.com/course/tech-entrepreneur-nanodegree--nd007 <comment><AUTHOR> This kinda blows my mind. I mean... on the one hand it's cool, on the other hand, where in the world would I use this in my resume?

<comment><USER2> Ideally, you would use this knowledge to start a business</comment></comment>


What TfL Learned from Tracking Your Phone on the London Underground - <AUTHOR> http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2017/02/heres-what-tfl-learned-from-tracking-your-phone-on-the-tube/ <comment><USER2> 8 or 9 years ago, I made a tiny program for my symbian s60 phone that scanned constantly bluetooth networks and stored the mac and the celltower id to know where I was (no gps at that time). Next time my phone saw an already saved bt mac address my phone vibrated.

It was cool to find out that I was crossing daily with the same people in different places and yet we never met.

It was a small project I made for fun, nothing serious :)

<comment><USER3> this is really cool! do you have a writeup?

<comment><USER2> sadly not... it was my first personal project ever and I didnt know that documenting projects was a thing :) I'll try to find the phone, get the logs and document it next time I visit my hometown. Thanks for the interest!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> The fact that WiFi advertises your MAC address whilst searching is quite annoying.

Have there been any developments in randomising MAC addresses or other solutions to this problem?

Edit:

I found this app called Pry-Fi: [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.p...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.pryfi)

<comment><USER5> OSX, IOS and "NetworkManager"(linux) do that.

Thing is that it is usually useless. Only instance where you _would_ even send a package (thus showing your MAC) when searching is if you were searching for a hidden AP. Funny that Microsoft is the only one that got that right, as they have a checkbox that says "hidden AP". All others just assume that the AP _may_ be hidden and try to connect anyway. (worse is that they scan in the background _while_ you are connected. NM does it at least)

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Why don't they just use Oyster card for this?

I'm sure the data from that is much more fine grained.

Update: Ah got it. With Oyster they can only register the entry and exit points and not the route taken.

<comment><AUTHOR> When connecting between different tube lines, much of the time users remain inside the ticketed area of the station, so only tap their Oyster/contactless card when they pass through the entrance/exit barriers at the very start and end of the journey. (Though there are a few stations where there is not a direct tunnel between lines, and travellers are required to connect via a separate street-level entrance, where they would tap their card mid-journey.)

In cases where there are multiple routes to complete a trip (eg remaining on one line vs making multiple connections for a faster journey) it was therefore previously not possible to determine what percentage of people chose which route.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> From the article: "The good news for the paranoid is that TfL appears to have gone out of its way to make sure everything is above board. In the documents that Giz UK has seen, it makes clear that it is only MAC data that's collected (ie: they're not monitoring the websites you visit) - and that this data is stored as encrypted hashes - so even if hackers could somehow break in and obtain the collected data, they wouldn't be able to get any MAC address data."

"Encrypted hashes" isn't totally specific given the vague language used when talking to general audiences, but assuming it means a cryptographic hash, then that doesn't really give much (any) privacy. There are only so many possible MAC addresses, and it's pretty easy to try them all in minutes. I was going to do the math, but Threatpost already has an article about this.[1] There's also a stub Wikipedia article.[2]

Unique salts don't work if you still want to be able to compare MAC addresses, which is sort of the point. You can have a single salt for all hashes, or alternatively encrypt with a single key, but then it's just a matter of that single salt or key being leaked.

+1 for randomized MAC addresses.

[1] [https://threatpost.com/research-finds-mac-address-hashing- no...](https://threatpost.com/research-finds-mac-address-hashing-not-a-fix- for-privacy-problems/104893/)

[2] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_Address_Anonymization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_Address_Anonymization)

</comment><comment><USER8> Really interesting, well written article which discusses the openness of this trial. I suppose I'd probably rather be an asset to TfL than Google (who's tracking I _am_ fearful of).

</comment><comment><USER9> They only tracked Android devices then as iOS does not return the MAC address to WIFI.

<comment><USER10> So presumably an Android user needs to just disable their wifi until they need it and they prevent most of this tracking?</comment></comment>


My most memorable computer was... - <AUTHOR> http://technologizer.com/2009/04/22/my-most-memorable-computer-was/

<comment><USER2> The Tandy Model 16, a desktop Unix workstation with a 68000 processor that was also backward-compatible with the Z80-based Model II (much like Playstation backward compatibility, it incorporated all the old hardware into the new design). In 1981 not many companies were producing Unix workstations that fit on a desktop; the only competitors that I know of in this space came from a small startup called Sun Microsystems. :)

Anyway, I learend to program C on that old thing. And I owe much of my orientation towards Unixoid operating systems on it.

</comment><comment><USER3> The most memorable computer to me came from NeXT. I have a working colorstation sitting on my desk right now. I keep it around as a reminder that the best technology doesn't always win. Although here I am using MacOS X next to it, so what do I know? :) Its amazing how a computer so old can feel modern. The UI is modern but the lack of apps really shows. For a time I would run an X server and export a browser and other apps from my Linux box to help make up for this. Good times.

</comment><comment><USER4> TI-85 pocket calculator; 6Mhz of Z-80 goodness with 28k of ram, hacked with an assembly language "repl" :-)

zshell, how I love thee!

</comment><comment><USER5> A Sinclair QL in 1984, for which I bought a Lisp interpreter. The OS was multi-tasking, and the hardware was based on the superb Motorola 68000 processor range.

For the biggest impact, a Video Genie, which was a clone of the Tandy TRS-80. I learnt how to program (Basic and Z80 assembly) on that.

</comment><comment><USER6> A BBC B+ 128KB. I learnt BASIC and Pascal on it.

It had OS, BASIC, Assembler and DFS in 48KB of ROM and booted in one second. When PCs came along, they seemed like step back.

</comment><comment><USER7> BBC B, I learn't BASIC on it + "Rocket Raid" was brilliant

</comment><comment><USER8> Commodore 64</comment>


Machine Identification Code - <AUTHOR> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Identification_Code <comment><USER2> I've posted this recently before: I believe that _your_ gear should be "loyal" to _you_ , and do whatever you want, without spying on you or betraying you. In my opinion, this should be a basic right.

You might counter: yes but why shouldn't we add this, if we can easily stop people from counterfeiting money, leaking documents, flying drones in restricted areas and so on. It's so convenient that we can stop this with a bit of technology. We'll, it would be convenient if we could compell people to testify against themselves or their families, or if we would open and scan all mail, or require priests to report confessions to law enforcement. Yes, we could reduce some crimes this way, but we deliberately chose not to. It's a matter of weighting the interests of law enforcement against a basic feeling of "trust" that you have inside a society.

<comment><USER3> Fundamentally it's about the commitment to individual liberty as the highest good. Something that's fallen by the wayside in recent years.

<comment><USER4> I don't think it ever was the _highest_ good. It may be argued that it has moved around the hierarchy, and it may in fact not be at an all time high, but there were always things which we (society) put above liberty.

<comment><USER3> early American history strikes me as being punctuated by periods where individual liberty was the highest value. The frontier/westward expansion, for example. The constitution itself seems hinged on optimising for personal liberty by balancing "freedom to" and "freedom from" liberties.

I always thought of personal liberty as the value from which other values derive. For example, the law exists to protect our rights (the right to life and the right to property being the most obvious examples) from bad actors. Social welfare and socialised healthcare restrict the damage that personal catastrophe and random chance can do to our freedoms.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> There was a plot point in the film, "The Lives of Others," where the East German police keep a registration and fingerprint of all typewriters, and find a document written on an unregistered typewriter.

The precedents for machine identity go way back. The only difference is at least here, you don't need a license or registration for a printer, albeit you do in effect for a mobile device.

Remember to act surprised.

</comment><comment><USER6> Any competent bad guy knows to create messages composed of cut out letters from various magazine headlines.

</comment><comment><USER7> See also

"List of Printers Which Do or Do Not Display Tracking Dots (eff.org)"

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14501894](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14501894)

and

"Why printers add secret tracking dots (bbc.com)"

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14505444](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14505444)

<comment><USER8> I checked the EFF page, it appears the list is no longer maintained.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> I wonder how actual tracking works. They cannot know my laser printer at home prints certain dots? They must know first that I may have done it, then get printed paper to match the dots.

<comment><AUTHOR> Once they have a printed paper, they can decode it and find out the printer serial number. This serial number is included in the invoice that you received when buying that printer, thus the printer company knows who owns a printer that has a particular serial number.

</comment></comment><comment><USER10> This is neat: [https://github.com/dfd-tud/deda](https://github.com/dfd- tud/deda)

</comment><comment><USER11> Well that's one way to link to a Git repo. The first source is for deda, a new program to detect and overlay a block on the tracking dots.</comment>


Creationists suffer defeat in Oklahoma - <AUTHOR> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/02/23/creationists-suffer-defeat-in-oklahoma/

<comment><USER2> I actually disagree with the people at Discover magazine. "blatant anti- reality leanings"? give me a break. i welcome the possibility for the state to stop its fascist imposition of "Reality".

However this line -- "she once compared being gay to having cancer" makes me ready to disagree with the rep.</comment>


Is it possible to post a project both on Kickstarter and Indiegogo? - <AUTHOR>

Is there any exclusive clause on these crowdfunding websites? If not why don't people do that, it could hedge their risk. <comment><USER2> Don't half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.

When your attention is split on two different and identical campaigns, both of them will fail. Choose one and make it count.

<comment><USER3> This man speaks wise.

It will inevitably take A LOT OF work to do one campaign than most people anticipate. Don't underestimate the work of promoting and handling it.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> My colleagues and I are building our own crowdfunding platform serving the humanitarian community and we've given your subject some thought. If you're not asking for the same thing, I think it doesn't hurt to spread auxiliary funding aspects, stretch goals and so forth for example across onto another platform. It might very well cut some of your fundraising momentum but it will get you some face-time in return in front of another audience which might help in the long term.

</comment><comment><USER5> At first glance I'm not convinced to the idea, I'd assume that it's better to keep the community in one place. Reaching critical mass sounds easier with just one URL to share too.

I might like it if the fundraisers were complementary and addressed to the same target groups, but actually different.

</comment><comment><USER6> The page you use for crowdfunding is just a front page. It doesn't make sense to have two front pages - it's confusing to the user.

Also Kickstarter requires you meet your goal in order to get any money. It would be a shame if you got half the money on IndieGoGo and your Kickstarter failed because of it.</comment>


Google is eating Microsoft's lunch, one tasty bite at a time - <AUTHOR> http://blog.rescuetime.com/2010/06/17/google-is-eating-microsofts-lunch-one-tasty-bite-at-a-time/

<comment><USER2> Interesting, but I'm not sure it's meaningful. Consider the following.

1) Their sample data is based on your product usage and people who use rescue time are probably heavy cloud users. So population set is unfairly waited toward the cloud.

2) Microsoft's get's the majority of their users and revenue from enterprise level sales. Google customer on the other hand is primarily the consumer and small business. This is important because in most enterprise level environments users can't install an application like rescue time.

3) Lastly people double dip - at work use outlook for work and gmail for personal.

It would interesting to just look at productivity apps like word processing or presentation with referrer values from .com addresses only (not logins) . The trending might be very different.

<comment><USER3> Our users may include more tech savvy early adopters than the general population, but capturing that audience is how tech markets are won. This makes our data more relevant as a leading indicator, not less. If you are a major software vendor, and you lose the early adopters, you should be worried.

<comment><USER4> I voted you up because you made an interesting point here about early adopters, but it would have been nice if you made it in the blog post rather than in the comments here. It would make you more credible. Along a similar vein, you might consider labeling the y-axis on your graphs with something like "% of RescueTime users" instead of "% of computer users." My message is that if you were slightly more qualified in the post, you wouldn't have 75% of the comments telling you that your post is misguided, and instead the overall discussion in the comments here would be much more intelligent.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> heh rescuetime have had a string of really interesting blog posts, and without fail almost every comment from hacker news has been complaining about skew and bias.

rescuetime can only provide this level of insight for people that use their software, and that will incur a bias, thats fairly obvious and should go without saying, or at least repeating constantly.

Cheers guys for some really interesting blog posts, some of us appreciate them.

<comment><USER6> Yeah it's interesting, and yeah I think the trend is meaningful.

However I disagree that they can go without mentioning the sample bias, especially in this case of corporate vs cloud apps. Yes to HN readers (a lot of whom are working on cloud startups) it's obvious. However to the wider community of people who might be reading that blog, that is not necessarily obvious.

<comment><USER7> In some ways their sample bias might be useful because it shows where the early adopters and the experimenters are going -- the kind of people who might lead the larger market by 3 – 10 years.

</comment></comment></comment><comment> brown9-2 I think this is an interesting analysis, and as others have pointed out, it's unfair to complain that RescueTime user's are representative - the only thing RescueTime can comment on is what their user's are using.

However I think it is slightly misleading to include "Gmail" under the umbrella of "Google Apps" when comparing them to Microsoft Office. It would be fairer to only include the individual Google Docs apps compared to what is included in Microsoft Office.

Many Microsoft Office users might be using Gmail for personal mail simultaneously while not using any other Google Docs products.

However most users of Google Docs are likely not also using Outlook (in isolation of the other Office apps) for their email.

<comment><USER8> More and more users are being exposed to working with online software due to Gmail. If they compare it with Outlook, they might even find it superior. That does make it easier to sell people on the idea of Google apps.

<comment> brown9-2 Yes, but I think including Gmail in the aggregate of "Google Apps" makes it seem like Google Docs is kicking Office's butt.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> RescueTime's user-base is hardly representative. They're very computer savvy, avid social-media participants and care about their work and productivity improvements enough to get an application for it. A very low, one-digit percentile of computer users.

I would trust this data if it came from an anti-virus vendor, Skype, or any other application with a huge and diverse installation base.

</comment><comment><USER10> While this is great data, can you include some data about the makeup of the sample pool? Specifically, I am wondering how much of a conclusion you can draw about worldwide, or even US broadly, versus what could potentially be very a highly technically adept audience, thus skewing one way or another.

<comment><USER11> Exactly. Someone using Rescue Time is not your typical mainstream Microsoft user.

So yes, sure, there is a segment in the market that Google is winning.

<comment><AUTHOR> While this may have been true initially, over the years this is no longer the case. Especially as we have grown adoption of our business offering, which caters to teams inside a broad range of companies and worker types.

As we went from the early adopter crowd to the broader population, you would expect to see MS Office trending up as a whole.

<comment><USER10> To be clear, I am not throwing stones. I am, of course, a MSFT employee, so I have a bit of bias there. As a data junkie I like to ensure that the right conclusions can be drawn. A post like this, when contrasted with the $4+ billion that the Office group makes, well it's hard to draw the dire conclusions that one might make from this data in a vacuum.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> This is an arrogant post ignoring the skew towards technical users and users of cloud applications (which Rescuetime and Google Docs both are), similar to the way the Alexa results used to be skewed.

What bothers me is not the dumb post, but the fact that the author doesn't even try to explain the difference and apparently people behind Rescuetime defend the post here at HN as if it was real research.

No trend can be read out of this data.

</comment><comment><USER13> I am using Office 2010 since last two months and I think it is solid. In fact use a non-IE browser to try the online versions from office.live.com. Try OneNote. Despite the article I do not think Google docs compares that well.

</comment><comment><USER14> All graphs end around December 2009. I wish they have included more recent data in the charts.

</comment><comment><USER15> Excerpt from <http://ycombinator.com/ideas.html> :

" _11\. Web Office apps. We're interested in funding anyone competing with Microsoft desktop software. Obviously this is a rich market, considering how much Microsoft makes from it. A startup that made a tenth as much would be very happy. And a startup that takes on such a project will be helped along by Microsoft itself, who between their increasingly bureaucratic culture and their desire to protect existing desktop revenues will probably do a bad job of building web-based Office variants themselves. Before you try to start a startup doing this, however, you should be prepared to explain why existing web-based Office alternatives haven't taken the world by storm, and how you're going to beat that._ "

Relevant? I think so.

</comment><comment><USER16> Could it be that the market intelligence RescueTime is gathering is more valuable than what individual users are getting? I can really see the big guys (MS,Google et al) providing similar tools just to be able to see this info. Specially MS since they can just put it in their O.S.

<comment><USER17> > [E]specially MS since they can just put it in their O.S.

Wouldn't that generate a shitstorm of criticism for monitoring users, or do you mean some sort of opt-in protocol?

<comment><USER16> yes, evidently they would have to make it opt-in. But it may not be that hard to do since they would give value to the individuals. (Telling you how you are spending your time)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> The major problem I see here is you're measuring "Time Spent" (in the 3rd graph, at least). If a product is really innovative, it should take up less of the user's time, not more.

If Outlook suddenly became twice as efficient, you'd expect to see "Time Spent" decreasing.

<comment><USER19> Only if the number of things that you used to do was fixed. Adding features and increasing performance could possible cancel out, timewise.

That said, I think determining the utility of a product from the amount of time spent in it is a very difficult thing to do. Deriving utility from time spent, and then comparing it between products seems very nebulous at best.

Personally, I'm fine with RescueTime's presentation of the graph here. In the end, eyeballs are eyeballs. I don't know if you could generate a metric (from RescueTime, anyway) that could measure product innovation.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> Tell me, why is Microsoft Word in the same graph as Google Mail?

You claim to compare the Office suite to Google Apps, but I don't think GMail and Outlook are included in those categories.

</comment><comment><USER21> its all hunky dory in the echo chamber

</comment><comment><USER22> Even though I do use a bunch of different cloud services I still have a mail client and a bunch of spreadsheets open at any given time. It's still the most practical way for me to get work done. I'm not even an Office power-user but I find Google Docs to be lacking some features that were available to me with MS Office running on Windows 3.1. I can't justify that type of downgrade just to save myself a few minutes of work saving, sharing or retrieving a file in a less convenient way.

</comment><comment><USER23> I guess this is to do with the sample of users, but I'm very surprised at how low PowerPoint comes out - more or less 0% of users use it? Given how often I have to suffer through one of those presentations I'd have expected more.

I'd also have expected Word to come higher (it's shown as something like 2-3% of users) given that most professionals probably use it to write a report from time to time.

</comment><comment><USER24> What lunch? Free apps? How is that important?

</comment><comment><USER25> The initial graph is misleading in a fundamental way: the usage of most of the Microsoft Office apps has barely changed - this is really an Outlook -vs- Gmail story, the results of which are no surprise to any of us.

</comment><comment><USER26> Take this with a grain of salt, but I'd imagine that RescueTime's users are early-adopters, and as such may be the tip of the arrow indicating future trends. Hence, this is fairly interesting data.

</comment><comment><USER27> I don't see Google Spreadsheet eating Excel's lunch anytime soon.

<comment><USER28> Depends on what you're using it for. I plan a lot of big group trips, and coordinating logistics with Google Spreadsheet has been a lifesaver.

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> Interesting analysis. It would be interesting to track this after we give some time for web-based Office 2010 to catch up.

</comment><comment><USER30> The data the RescueTime typically collects is heavily gaurded intellectual property amongst nearly every Fortune 500 - EG MSFT's bread and butter profits - and I doubt they have any meaningful penetration into those markets.

<comment><AUTHOR> I can't release those details specifically yet but you'd be surprised.

<comment><USER30> I'm looking forward to hearing - if you've made good inroads into the MSFT dominated corporate IT world I will personally send a case of beer to your office.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> And here's to many more!</comment>


Beast-vs-RESTinio or is Boost.Beast really good for solving simple tasks? - <AUTHOR> https://eao197.blogspot.com/2018/09/progflame-beast-vs-restinio-or-is.html <comment><USER2> The fact that Beast allows you to go low level if required, is one if its strengths. And moreover, C++ is generally used in projects where such control is required.

<comment><AUTHOR> > The fact that Beast allows you to go low level if required, is one if its > strengths.

Yes. But the key moment is "if required". With Beast you always have to initiate read and write operations. Just look at Vinnie Falco's code: [https://github.com/vinniefalco/CppCon2018/blob/293bedbd5204d...](https://github.com/vinniefalco/CppCon2018/blob/293bedbd5204d4330135ce1fe798a4f66939e2f2/http_session.cpp#L247) You perform request processing and then you write the response manually. Even if there is no need to do such low-level operations in that task.

> And moreover, C++ is generally used in projects where such control is > required.

Not only. For example, Wt framework is used for Web-interface for smart devices and you don't need to have an extreme performance here.

Another case: we created HTTP API for old C++ code, but this API was used inside a big application only (application was divided into several parts, something like microservices approach). And the main problem was not a performance of HTTP-related part, but the big response times from old C++ code (it takes seconds to process a request).</comment></comment>


Seafood Without the Sea: Will Lab-Grown Fish Hook Consumers? - <AUTHOR> https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/05/05/720041152/seafood-without-the-sea-will-lab-grown-fish-hook-consumers <comment><USER2> Is enough dificult yet by traditional methods.

There is a limit to the tick of a meat piece if oxigen and food must rely in simple difussion. Fishes need omega3 fatty acids to survive. They are unable to synthesize it. How do you effectively feed with omega-3 the cells of an animal without stomach? I wonder also how cell excrection would be solved without a few tubes and filters to collect it. Would you eat fish fillets growing soaked in "fish urine"?

The list of challenges to solve is really long.

The more interesting goal here is changing the perception of public about what is food. There are lots of problems with fish breeding. Bad husbandry practices will produce easily a lot percentage of deformed fishes in the pool (lacking one or two eyes, lack of opercles is also common and skeletal sclerosis can produce "Z" plied fishes easily also). Those are unmarketable today. If you just say that it was cultivated in a laboratory then abismal quality products could suddently enter in a market chain and turn into acceptable or even top quality. Even better than the real thing.

But a good comforting lie is still a lie.

</comment><comment><USER3> I have a sinking feeling this kind of synthetic food production is just a bait for health-wary consumers. After reeling in enough customers, lab-grown fish produced for profit will inevitably have to deteriorate in quality to maintain/increase revenue. Can this kind of endeavor scale? Can it be introduced to schools, for example? I'm sure some consumers will swallow the idea hook, line and sinker but I see it as just another cool concept in an ocean filled with bottom-feeders.

<comment><USER4> I don't think it's inevitable that quality has to deteriorate. I buy all sorts of manufactured products that are perfectly good; competition in balanced, well-run markets keeps producers in line.

And personally, I'm willing to pay extra for lab-grown. I'm sure they'll sell that as a health benefit; it's much easier to avoid contaminants. But for me it's about minimized negative externalities. I don't have to worry that I'm driving a species extinct, or contributing to some more localized eco- catastrophe.

<comment><USER5> You may pay extra, plenty might want the same for less - particularly if it becomes fashionable. We don't really have balanced, well run markets, so competition also produces cheap, profitable eco-catastrophes, either to sell a similar product for less - see US experience of beef farming. Or to turn a once wild-caught luxury food into a mass market everyday food - see almost all salmon farming. No problem - the eco-catastrophe is now someone else's problem - an externality.

I see no reason to have confidence this will be any different in terms of eco- damage or other pollution without strengthening regulation in several areas. Just being in a "lab" \- which will be regular food factory once commercialised - won't remove waste, or stuff down the drains.

<comment><USER6> many global fishing stocks are being critically overexploited, and lab grown fish could help abate it. this is a much more immediate threat to food security than climate change and may be intensified in the future by ocean acidification. i don't see why a fish lab couldn't be run in a carbon neutral manner and it's much better than doing nothing.

[https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/fish-stocks-are- used-...](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/fish-stocks-are-used-up- fisheries-subsidies-must-stop/)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> > BlueNalu is not looking to replace wild-caught or farm-raised seafood, but > is aiming to become a third alternative for seafood eaters.

Since they are targeting "fish that cannot be easily farmed", the whiff I get from this idea is akin to synthetic diamonds. This lab grown fish is an alternative to the rare and high-end fish that is harder (and more expensive) to get.

This is not a cheap replacement for standard consumers buying filets at the grocery store for weeknight dinners, but a niche offer for chefs and clientele wanting the experience of eating particular fish cuisine.

It would be disingenuous to say this is going to save the oceans. Fish are useful to the environment and it would be better if their populations rose, as overfishing is causing massive oceanic destruction.

Comparing this kind of lab grown fish to lab grown beef is actually an inverse comparison because a central point of lab grown beef is addressing the issue (and environmental impact) of humans farming too many cows for beef, whereas with fish we have the opposite problem where humans have decimated the populations so much we actually need to lift fish populations.

<comment><USER8> I don't think I follow. If I had the choice of eating a wild bluefin tuna versus lab grown bluefish tuna meat, I'd eat the lab grown meat every time because... overfishing of bluefin tuna is a serious problem.

There is never a silver bullet, but if we can improve stocks of any wild fish via displacement, it's working to save the oceans.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Indoor fish farming seems like a much more practical approach to solve the problems inherent in catching wild fish to eat (and the pollution that outdoor fish farms cause), and a much more logical next step for seafood than lab- grown muscle tissue.

Lab-meat makes most sense for beef, which is an incredibly inefficient and habitat-destroying food source, and is also often served in a processed form anyway, ie as minced-beef in burgers, bolognese, sausages, etc, etc.

<comment><USER10> Many fish (Tuna being a prime example) can't be farmed. There's also a notable decrease in health and nutritional content of farmed fish.

<comment><USER2> Tuna is not easy to breed, not at all, but can be farmed. I had seen tuna babies born in captivity. The tiny critters are all mouth. Is a long term effort.

</comment></comment></comment><comment> open-source-ux The Marine Conservation Society (MSC) has an excellent Good Fish Guide if you want to find out which fish are overfished:

 _" Use the Good Fish Guide to find out which fish are the most sustainable (Green rated), and which are the least sustainable (Red rated)."_

[https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/search](https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/search)

In the UK, supermarkets display the MSC logo on frozen fish products to indicate the fish is sustainably sourced. They did a recent Good Fish Fingers guide for 2018 (UK only):

[https://www.mcsuk.org/responsible-seafood/fish-finger- guide](https://www.mcsuk.org/responsible-seafood/fish-finger-guide)

</comment><comment><USER11> What is never brought up in the lab grown meat discussion is the potential to mitigate human suffering. Working a fishing boat is hard. Working a poultry plant is hard and psychologically stressful. Lab grown meat could eliminate that for thousands of people.

<comment><USER12> I'm _not_ impressed with academics who think all physical labor is torture.

NOT EVERYONE IS LIKE YOU OR WANT TO BE LIKE YOU!

Sorry for the shouting...

<comment><USER11> [https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the- ilo/newsroom/features/W...](https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the- ilo/newsroom/features/WCMS_075579/lang--en/index.htm)

"The ILO is keenly aware that people in the fishing sector often face harsh or difficult working conditions: they may spend long periods at sea and are frequently exposed to unpredictable and dangerous conditions. In a number of countries, the fatality rates for persons in the fishing sector are many times greater than the national average, for example higher than those for fire- fighters or police. These rates may exceed 150 to 180 per 100,000 workers, rivalled only by such other hazardous occupations as forestry and coal mining."

<comment><USER13> Much like cutting trees for a living, fishing - even of the net hauling and trap wrassling variety - can be very fulfilling and fun for a certain kind of person.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> I am seriously excited for this to become available to chefs. There is a rampant issue in sushi with fish fraud and this would be a clean and ethical solution.

<comment><USER2> Why do you think that this would be more ethical than allowing fishes live in the sea?

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> Yes, I would eat lab-grown meat (fish or otherwise).

</comment><comment><USER16> I'm skeptical. This article makes huge claims about what they've done, but looking at BlueNalu's website, there are no pictures of the lab or actual fish that they've made. This seems like a submarine article ([http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html)) no pun intended.

</comment><comment><USER17> Looks like another firm trying to pull an "impossible" \- hype up something as lab grown meat, sell veggieburgers.

<comment><USER11> Impossible is plant based, not lab grown.

<comment><USER18> That was the point of the comment.

<comment><USER11> But Impossible does not and has not ever claimed to be lab grown meat.

<comment><USER18> Fair enough. I was responding to your response to GP (which claimed it did so claim before the bait&switch). I have no dog in this hunt - just tracking grammar and claims. Probably makes me a Nazi.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


SixCalifornias - initiative to create six states - <AUTHOR> http://sixcalifornias.info/ <comment><USER2> I find it really odd that anyone would actually think something like this would work. Firstly, California would have to agree to break itself into 6 states. Even if that happened, those six states, which as far as America is concerned are still all part of California, would then need to convince Congress (which are the representatives of the rest of the country with a disproportionate representation of tiny states) to allow them to join the Union. Asking Congress to let 5 extra states join the Union is pretty much asking every state if it's cool that California gets 10 new Senators and 5 new Congressman. It seems odd that anyone would think Congress would be okay with that, especially when it doesn't seem to benefit the country at all.

I also think it's funny that they've hired a PR firm[1] that handles "luxury hotels and resorts"[2], and "Luxury Real Estate Developments and Private Residence Clubs"[2] to contact for information. I can't think of any successful, attempting to be grassroots movement, created to try to improve the lives of others, that hired a PR firm from the start.

[1] - The for press inquiries link at the bottom of their landing page [2] - The PR company's clients section [http://www.seahorsepr.com/clients/clients.htm](http://www.seahorsepr.com/clients/clients.htm)

</comment><comment><USER3> California is a beautiful state and I never want to see it broken up. Joshua Trees, Lake Tahoe, the coast of Mendocino, in fact all of Highway 1, Alpine, Torrey Pines, Russia River, the rocky hills of North County San Diego, Red Woods and Big Sur, San Francisco, Balboa Park, White Sands, Death Valley, and on and on. The many missions. The many universities.

Between Hollywood and Silicon Valley, California touches more minds and hearts than any other place in the world.

This state is amazing, so diverse and rich in culture. This six state initiative is such an embarrassment. People that advocate something like this are so out of touch with reality. The New York Times brought this up when they were referring to the weird rich kids that live in the bay area. I'd support California becoming it's own sovereign state before I'd support breaking it up.

<comment><USER4> Breaking up the state will provide better democratic representation.

<comment><USER3> I'm not sure how that couldn't be an argument to break up all the large states. It would just turn the senate into another house of representatives.

And it's a weird way to fix the senate if you wanted it to be fixed. You should instead get the congress to move over to a parliamentary system where all percentages of votes are counted instead of a plurality takes all. You could ask for more senators. And then you will not be breaking up my home state with these outsider ideas. All of these solutions are about as likely to pass: nil chance. And I'll fight tooth and nail to keep help keep this state together.

<comment><USER4> >I'm not sure how that couldn't be an argument to break up all the large states

It might be worth considering some kind of population density clause for when the number of constituents to representatives reaches a ridiculous value.

>You should instead get the congress to move over to a parliamentary system where all percentages of votes are counted instead of a plurality takes all.

This kind of a fix isn't pragmatic and will have a bigger disruption than breaking up one state. It's not like the geography is going to change because the lines are redrawn.

>And then you will not be breaking up my home state with these outsider ideas.

Have you considered whether other residents of the state share your view? Maybe the larger metropolitan areas are alright keeping around the sparser rural areas, but not the inverse?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I grew up in Washington state and there were periodic calls to divide it vertically down the middle so that those in the (less populous) eastern (largely Republican) half of the state could be more independent of the (more populous, largely Democrat) western half of the state. The kicker was the proposed name for the new state: Lincoln.

<comment><USER6> To clarify, under that proposal, the "new" state (Lincoln) would be the eastern one and the western one would be still called Washington. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_%28proposed_Northweste...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_%28proposed_Northwestern_state%29)

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> I completely agree that California should be broken in to n states, where 2 <= n <= 8.

However, I, and I suspect most people, would draw the lines differently.

In fact, I think most people will agree with the concept of breaking CA into multiple states, but at the same time I think most Californians would rather stay as one state than create new states with boundaries that annoy them.

</comment><comment><USER8> I already debated this before... [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6940199](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6940199)

I hope this doesn't pass because I know how the lines will be drawn. The rich, privileged will be grouped together and will take advantage of the poor.

<comment><USER9> The poor have nothing for the rich and privileged to take advantage _of_. It can only ever happen in the other direction.

<comment><USER10> So, labor is a new concept to you?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Well, there _is_ probably a greater cultural gap between San Francisco and Los Angeles than exists between Fargo and Little Rock. And I do have a preference for smaller and more responsive polities.

But with my foil hat on, I realize that this is a play by non-Californians to manipulate national politics at the expense of the states. I'll only support it if they do California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New York at the same time.

<comment><USER12> I find the idea that political and cultural boundaries should align to be a very sad and unimaginative one.

(Not suggesting you hold an opposite view.)

<comment><USER13> How else could you do it? Tax only the people in favor of infrastructure improvements and prevent everyone else from using them? Only arrest people using recreational drugs if they voted against legalization?

<comment><USER2> You could do it the way it is done now. Geographically.

<comment><USER13> What does geography have to do with good government?

<comment><USER2> Geography has everything to do with government. Where you are geographically determines how you are governed and who governs you.

psuter said, "I find the idea that political and cultural boundaries should align to be a very sad and unimaginative one." Which I took to mean that psuter believes realigning CA along cultural or political boundaries (like saying, "republicans over here, democrats over there") is very sad and unimaginative.

To which you responded "How else could you do it? Tax only the people in favor of infrastructure improvements and prevent everyone else from using them? Only arrest people using recreational drugs if they voted against legalization?"

Which is why I tried to answer your question "How else could you do it?" by pointing out another way it can be done is, you keep things the way they are now meaning, you arrest, tax, and govern everyone equally depending on where they are standing (some things being illegal in some jurisdictions and not in others).

It seems like there's some sort of breakdown in understanding between the two of us here.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment> jack-r-abbit I could see (but not really support) a reasonable argument for making a North California & South California. It is a pretty big land mass with a large population. But I think 6 is overkill.

</comment><comment><USER14> Why?

<comment><USER15> 12 Senators, for a start.

<comment><USER16> In Switzerland, some cantons (their equivalent of a state) decided to split. Before they had 2 votes each in the Council of States; after the split, each half-canton got 1 vote each - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantons_of_Switzerland#Half- can...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantons_of_Switzerland#Half-cantons) .

It would be fair to split California into 2 and then each half would get 1 senator. Otherwise you might try to play the population card, but other states would need to approve (or could veto) the process.

<comment><USER10> > It would be fair to split California into 2 and then each half would get 1 > senator.

Er, even split into 6 states with two senators, California would be _underrepresented_ compared to many other states.

Plus, the one thing that the Constitution expressly prohibits doing even by Constitutional amendment is changing the distribution of Senators to something where states would not have equal representation. (You can _take away all the power of the Senate_ by Constitutional amendment, but you can't stop it from representing the states equally.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> This is such a bad idea! Water rights anyone?

<comment><USER10> Yeah, that's one area where this would be the opposite of local control, as it would essentially federalize the California water issues that aren't already federal (since interstate compacts must be approved by Congress.)

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> ITT: people who believe there is a difference between Republicans and Democrats.</comment>


An employee at Ubisoft quits in style. - <AUTHOR> http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/507259

<comment><USER2> I love this comment by BubbaBrown on the original site:

 _Good flash. I heard all the same things when I quit my job. Still an unemployed computer scientist, but sometimes you just got to escape. A professor once told me to be wary of the "golden handcuffs" or getting too complacent and comfortable... I saw what he meant. Guys with 10+ years of industry experience sitting around doing nothing and incapable, after years of atrophy, of doing anything of importance, but still collecting a check. I had to leave. It's the worst time to do so, but you don't see the living dead, your future, and stick around. So, good luck on your future ventures._

Now I'm sitting in a customer's office and looking at my invisible but oh-so real golden handcuffs. Something to think about on the week-end...

</comment><comment><USER3> Wow I sat there for a whole minute before realizing I was supposed to control the guy myself. So much for reading instructions eh?

<comment><USER4> well, the opening screen does show you the controls, and the "play" button are strong implications that you're supposed to interact and play the game. but i admit i couldn't tell when it "started" exactly

<comment><USER5> a "play" button to press doesn't hint at a game at all, it hints at a movie. you press "play" to play a movie, you press "Start" to start a game. You may argue that those terms can be easily reversed, which may at first glance be a sound argument, but deeper investigation would reveal that you do not play many video games, or have possibly never owned a VCR. This isn't an argument of grammar, this is an argument of tradition, and traditionally we say: ↑↑↓↓←→ ←→ A B SELECT START

just saying, not hating >_>

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> He should sell predefined videos that can be customized... bet he'd make a fortune, cause that was pretty neat.

Hell, he'd probably even be able to put that on his resume.

</comment><comment><USER7> I don't know why and I can't explain it, but I felt really touched and inspired playing that.

Being able to take "that leap" against all the in-game nay-sayers, actually felt as real as the day I left my job of 5 years to do it myself.

</comment><comment><USER8> I want to make one like that about the project cycle.

It starts with people saying "Lets dream!" "We're going to touch the stars!"

Then it evolves in to "We need more time." "We're going to have to cut things."

Then after that, it switches to "We'll never ship on time." "Gotta get it out regardless."

And then the final jump off the cliff will be off the stock price chart.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> yea that's a good ideas, video templates for people who are about to quit their job :)

</comment><comment><USER9> Isn't this really old or has this been done before?

<comment><USER10> You're probably remembering the guy that made the mario flash movie where he tells he's leaving. Don't remember what company, but I do know it was in AU.

<comment><USER11> This one, perhaps?: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=588139>

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> That's awesome. And congrats on taking the leap!</comment>